The Scottish Parliament last night voted to reject the £25 billion replacement for the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Although defence and foreign affairs are the responsibility of Westminster, MSPs voted by 71 votes to 16 with 39 abstentions, to call on the British Government not to go ahead with a new missile system.
Both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have expressed their belief that the ageing Trident system - first introduced 20 years ago - must be replaced if Britain is to retain a credible deterrent.
However, the Holyrood Parliament approved Green MSP Patrick Harvie's call to congratulate Scottish MPs for voting against the proposal when it was debated in the Commons in March. But they also approved an amendment from Mike Rumbles, of the Liberal Democrats, which insisted that decisions on matters of defence were the responsibility of the United Kingdom government and parliament.
Although this amendment was seen as watering down Mr Harvie's original plan, it is still the first time that the Scottish Parliament has voted against the nuclear deterrent.
Mr Harvie said the majority of Scots were against Trident, which is based at Faslane on the Clyde. He also rejected claims that parliament should not be debating the issue.
"Not only on issues like Trident, but on a wide range of other issues this parliament has a voice and has a responsibility to act as a citizen of the world and express views on issues which are not within its legal remit,'' he said.
But Labour's Michael McMahon said Holyrood should focus on matters where it has power and responsibility.
Four Labour MSPs voted with the SNP, Lib Dems and Greens, and the rest abstained.
